caleb's dream

I've been asked a number of times what the name of my son will be (due May 11, 2007). The answer is Caleb Andrew Paterson. Yes, his initials will spell "CAP." Perhaps this will fuel a destiny of loving the game I love, baseball. Despite this coincidence, there really is a story behind the name:

Andrew is simple. It is my middle name. It was the middle name of my grandfather, Ronald Andrew Paterson. My son will carry with him the heritage of our family. Our heritage is a blessing, though of course, it is also a curse. If he honors his father and mother the Scriptures promise a long and full life. This is not simply an expression that means he must obey us. It is a calling to embrace who God has made him to be. It is a calling to accept the time and the struggles of humanity that he will face. When we can honor the reality of who we are and when we are, then, we will have a long and full life. Andrew, is a calling.

Caleb is the diversion, the progression, the next step beyond what I have known. Caleb, a Hebrew name, means "faithful, or devoted one." It also doubles as the word for "dog" (sorry buddy, it's true).

First, you must understand that Israel is God's chosen people, who by being grafted in by Jesus the Messiah, our family can now say is our people and our story. In our story, their is a man named Caleb. He is unique in his time. His generation sits at a crossroads with God and Israel's destiny. They are camped on the edge of the Promised Land and led by God to take it by force. But first, Moses sends 12 spies to survey the land (Numbers 13). Caleb is among them, accompanied by Joshua. The scouts return and report that the Land is all that God promised. However, 10 spies spread a bad report about the challenges and Giants that the people will face. Caleb stands out and believes that God can deliver the Land just as He promised. Because the people follow the report of the other spies God leads the people through the dessert for another forty years to wipe out the generation that would not trust Him. However, He protects Caleb and says:

"But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it." Numbers 14:24

My dream for Caleb is that he would choose to be faithful and devoted to God in a way that surpasses his Fathers. In the midst of a generation that will increasingly turn away from trusting the promises of God, I pray he sees beyond the challenges and Giants of his time. He can go beyond me, beyond his grandparents. He can break the curses that have been passed down. He can enter the Promised Land. He can be a blessing. Caleb, is a destiny.